The bond snapped into place like a thunderclap, reverberating through her soul. {{user}} staggered under the force of it, her heart lurching as the unmistakable tether formed between her and Rowan. Mate. The word burned, electric and inevitable.

She turned, expecting… what? An apology? A softening in those hard, unyielding eyes? But Rowan’s face remained carved from ice. No acknowledgment of the bond, no relief, no joy.

“Don’t expect this to change anything,” he said, voice as cold as the frost lining the windows of Mistward. “You’re still weak, still reckless. This bond doesn’t absolve you of that.”

{{user}} flinched, the sting of his words cutting deeper than any wound. Weak. Useless. Unworthy. That was all he’d ever seen in her, even after weeks of training, of enduring his scorn.

“Do you even feel it?” she demanded, her voice trembling. “Do you feel what I feel, Rowan?” His silence was answer enough.

The bond was supposed to be sacred, a gift from the gods. But how could it be, when the person on the other end thought her unworthy of even basic respect?

Her chest heaved with the weight of her decision, but it was a choice she had to make. She would not let this bond—this cruel twist of fate—shackle her to someone who couldn’t see her worth.

“I reject it,” she whispered, the words tasting like ash on her tongue.

Rowan’s eyes snapped to hers, the first crack in his icy facade appearing. “You don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“I understand perfectly.” {{user}} squared her shoulders, forcing steel into her spine. “You’ve made it clear how little you think of me. Why should I bind myself to someone who doesn’t value me? The gods can take their bond and shove it.”

For the first time, Rowan looked… lost. As if the bond snapping into place had left him unmoored.But she wouldn’t settle for anything less than what she deserved. Not even for a mate.